


Crash Into Me

by Sometimes_Quickly_1811



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-25 16:32:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4968196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sometimes_Quickly_1811/pseuds/Sometimes_Quickly_1811
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashlyn Harris is junior at UNC. Ali Krieger is a junior transfer student from Penn State. What happens when the two crash into each other? Will they get along, or will their first meeting be the last?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic so give me all the suggestions! Not sure where this is headed, but I had a tiny idea and just ran with it. If you'd like to see something happen, let me know! The first chapter isn't super long, but if people like it and this continue, the following chapters will be longer :) xoxo

Good ‘ole UNC is where Ashlyn Harris finds herself standing on a particularly hot, August day. It’s not just any day in August either, but official college move-in day for student athletes. Two week before everyone else living on campus moves in. She stands next to her packed, all black Jeep Unlimited and stares up at what will become her home for the next four years. She then wonders how in the hell she’s going to carry all of her belongings up the path to her dorm...but Ashlyn’s never been one for planning or worrying. She chooses to live life freely and go with the natural ebb and flow of things. Not thinking much further, she grabs her backpack from the passenger side of her Jeep, hip checks the door to close it, and begins her trek towards her dorm room.

During her walk she can feel the heat from the pavement through her shoes and for a minute she thinks she’s still in Florida. But the heat and sun in Florida are different than in North Carolina, and she’s not entirely sure if she likes it or not. Regardless, she continues her walk, quickening her pace to get to the AC as fast as possible. She shrugs her backpack off and digs out the key to her room as she scans herself into her resident hall. She takes note of the other students running in and out of the lobby with, wondering if any will be her teammates. Opting to stay out of their way as they continue to move things in and out, while occupying the elevator located just beyond the front entrance, Ashlyn shoots for the stairs. She’s on the second floor thankfully, which will be a huge help when she has to carry the rest of her things up to her room. But right now her things can wait. Just as she reaches the top of the staircase and readjusts the key in her hand, it slips through her fingers and she watches it bounce and clink off of every step she had just walked up. 

“Well, that’s one way to tell me I should’ve done more conditioning...” Ashlyn lets out with a huff, setting her backpack down at the top of the stairs. 

As she continues to mumble to herself and make her way down the steps rather quickly, she keeps her head down. She’s in her own world now and at this point, she might as well be blind. She’s going on and on to herself, making wild hand gestures about “always being the klutzy one” when it happens. 

“Shit!” she hears a girl shriek, but it’s too late before that person is falling backwards down the stairs. 

Ashlyn instinctually reaches out her hand to catch the falling victim, but only sees a flash of brown hair before it’s gone. For a goalkeeper her hand-eye coordination and movement should be lightning quick, but let’s blame that on her shock from the initial collision. She never even saw it coming, and now there’s some poor girl falling down the steps! That thought snaps her out of the daze. 

“Holy shit, oh my god oh my god,” Ashlyn rushes out as she makes her way down the steps past all of the dropped items. There’s a backpack, purses in every color, more tennis shoes than one person should own, a soccer ball and cleats, books and papers and pens, two suitcases worth of clothing strewn all over the steps and ground. And then, Ashlyn sees her.  
\------------------

“Ugh,” the brown-haired girl mumbles. She brings her hand up to her forehead and winces at the contact. She sees red on her fingers and at that, rolls further into her pile of clothes, burying her face as if that would create a new reality. 

When her disappearing act fails to work, she picks up on the fact that she’s not alone. That’s when she hears her voice. 

“Holy shit, oh my god oh my god,” comes barreling down the steps. She just groans even more when she feels a hand on the back of her shoulder. 

“Are you okay?” asks the voice she’s assuming is responsible for pushing her down the steps. “I, oh my god, I am so sorry,” the girl rambles off nervously and clearly worried. 

“It’s okay,” she mumbles into one of her Penn State hoodies lying on the ground. She attempts to move but is cut off. 

“Thank god, she speaks!” Ashlyn says and that gets the girl to giggle. 

“She does, but not if you keep pushing her down the steps,” she responds. 

At that remark Ashlyn laughs and brings her hand up to the back of her neck, rubbing it anxiously. The nameless girl finally pushes her way into a sitting position and checks the cut on her forehead. She winces once again.

Ashlyn looks down at the girl, observing her movements. She takes in her brown hair that’s haphazardly thrown into a bun on the top of her head, the Penn State hoodie she’s clutching in her hands with drops of blood on the sleeves, the tight black skinny jeans clinging to her muscular thighs, and her eyes. Ashlyn blinks slowly and finally locks eyes with the girl slouching on the floor of their dorm building. She crouches down and rests her hand on her right knee. The girl flinches slightly, but Ashlyn doesn’t seem to let this affect her. She’s stuck on the color of her eyes. They’re brown, but not a common, dark shade. There’s a lightness to this girl’s eyes. They seem to sparkle and shine even inside. They’re a beautiful golden color with tiny flecks of yellow scattered about. Ashlyn hears the girl clear her throat and she snaps out of it. She glances tot he girl’s forehead. 

“Oh my god, you’re bleeding,” Ashlyn starts. 

“It’s not that bad,” the girl replies. 

“I am such a horrible person,” she begins, “my friends would be living for this moment right now,” she finishes. 

“It’s really-” the girl tries to get out her words, but is quickly cut off by a rambling Ashlyn.  
“No, no no, this is terrible,” Ashlyn tells her, “you’re a complete stranger and I almost killed you!” 

“Ali,” the girls mumbles cutely. 

“Huh?” Ashlyn looks perplexed. 

“My name is Ali, and now we aren’t strangers anymore,” the brunette answers. 

“Ashlyn,” she responds to the brunette, “now come with me,” she finishes, holding out her hand to the girl on the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! New update, sorry it wasn't out earlier today but life takes over and things happen. Anyways, glad I got this chapter in. I think it's better than the first. I hope you enjoy it :)
> 
> *Italics are internal character thoughts. 
> 
> xoxo

Ali stares at the blonde’s extended hand, pausing as if this simple gesture changes the outcome of her life. And maybe it does. Or maybe it already has and this is fate acting, bringing the two together. So she grabs on gently, and a little bit hesitantly, but connects their palms nonetheless. Ashlyn carefully pulls the brunette to her feet, and now they’re standing just a few inches apart. Ali glances up into Ashlyn’s hazel colored eyes. They’re beautiful, bursting with a certain lightness that she’s missed seeing in other peoples. They’re warm and inviting, and she knows if she stares into those eyes every day she will see something new and remarkable each time. 

“Uhm, thanks,” Ali mumbles softly, quickly averting her eyes from Ashlyn. The blonde clears her throat, realizing that their hand are still locked in a soft grip. 

“Ye-yeah,” Ash stutters out, “it’s the least I could do for knocking you down the stairs.” She decides now is a good time to let go of Ali’s hand, not knowing what else to do. Her body is shaking with nerves, an uncommon thing for the blonde to experience. She’s typically the well, put together, girl. Charming and brave and daring to be different from everyone else. But right now, standing in front of this girl who makes her heart flutter at a single glance, she is anything but. 

“But you know, it wouldn’t hurt to help me pick all my things up,” Ali begins to say quietly, “...given that it is your fault and everything.” Just as Ashlyn is about to defend herself and apologize for what seems like the hundredth time, she notices the smirk on Ali’s face. At that she cracks a smile of her own, shaking her head side and side. 

“You’re something else, you know that?” the blonde asks laughing lightly.

“Yeah, and you’re not the first to tell me that,” Ali answers, sticking her tongue out at the blonde.

“Oh you’re a feisty one...” the blonde begins to say, but quickly notices Ali’s face drop. Ashlyn sees her stumble slightly as she moves about trying to pick up her belongings. Ali leans into the wall momentarily. 

“...hey you okay?” Ash asks her. She turns to Ali who now looks really pale and confused. Her brow is scrunched like she’s concentrating hard on something, but keeps her eyes to the floor. Ashlyn reaches her hand out to Ali’s shoulder, careful not the startle her. She’s not really sure what to make of boundaries between the two, seeing as they just met and in a terrible way at that. 

“I-uh-I’m not...” Ali starts, but the blonde can tell she’s struggling to form a sentence. Ali tries to push off of the wall, thinking that if she makes it outside for fresh air she’ll feel better. She takes two steps before her body starts to wobble and things start to go fuzzy. She quickly reaches her hand out for something to balance her, but there’s nothing. She feels like she’s about to lose all balance and fall to the ground for a second time today. 

“Hey I got you,” she hears Ashlyn say in her ear, who has an arm wrapped around her waist to keep her steady. Ali can’t even mumble out a ‘thank you’ because the pounding in her head is so intense and the gash on her forehead is burning more and more with every slow step they take together. 

“I’m not doctor, but I think you need one,” the blonde says lightheartedly, trying to lift the mood. Ali responds by slowly nodding her head up and down that is pressed against the blonde’s shoulder. 

\---------------

Ashlyn asks the girl working in the lobby of their dorm if she could arrange for Ali’s things to be cleaned up and taken her room, which she learns is just a few down from her own. After the girl at the desk sees the condition of Ali, she agrees without any sort of hesitation. 

When the two make it outside, Ashlyn decides that allowing Ali to walk the entire way to her car would be torture for them both. She nudges Ali, who has fallen comfortably into her side and gets her to stand up straight for just a moment. Ali looks up into her eyes and the blonde can see how afraid and helpless the injured girl feels. Without another shared look or word between the two, the blonde scoops Ali up and begins down the path to her Jeep. Ali doesn’t even flinch. As if this is a normal occurrence between the two girls. As if they’ve been friends forever and it’s natural for them to be this close to one another. And just like that, Ali wraps one arm around the back of Ashlyn’s neck while the other clings to her free shoulder. Ashlyn tries to hold back the smile that is working its way to the surface, but when Ali lays her head against her chest she’s a goner. 

\---------------

Ali hears a faint beeping in the distance that wakes her up. She slowly blinks her eyes, but her vision is still clouded by sleep. The more she comes to, the more she starts to remember. And the more she remembers, the more she starts to panic. She suddenly bolts up right, scanning the room for any sign of familiarity. That’s when she sees her. Ali smiles softly at the sight of Ashlyn curled up in a chair with a surf magazine thrown over her lap, fast asleep. Ali glances to the window of her hospital room and sees that it’s dark out. Must’ve been admitted for the night. I guess Ashlyn brought me, but why is she still here?

“Hey stumbles,” a soft, sleepy voice pulls Ali from her thoughts. She looks up to find the blonde sitting on the end of her bed now. Ali doesn’t even try to hide her smile. 

“Stumbles?” She asks curiously. She only remembers so much of what got her into this mess, and she’s relying on the blonde to spill the details. 

“That’s your new nickname, hope you don’t mind,” Ash teases her. Ali rolls her eyes playfully, but the blonde senses that the she is still a little confused over what happened. 

“As long as I can call you klutz, I think that’s a fair trade,” the brunette teases back. 

“Alright alright, fair enough,” Ash says throwing her hands in the air, surrendering to Ali’s sassy tone. 

“Sooo...” Ali begins. 

“You wanna know what happened stumbles?” Ash asks, giggling at her own joke. Ali, again, rolls her eyes at the blonde, but nods for her to continue. 

“So after I haphazardly knocked you down a flight of steps...,” the blonde winces to herself, feeling terrible about hurting Ali, “...I helped you up...” she continued but was cut off by Ali. 

“Ash, please stop feeling bad,” Ali said sympathetically. She knew the blonde felt guilty enough. Ash cracked a small smile, grateful that the brunette didn’t hate her. 

Ash cleared her throat. “As I was saying, I helped you up,” she continued, “and when you locked eyes with me my good looks and charming smile just completely knocked you off of your feet and I had to carry you to my Jeep because you had passed out and the gash on your forehead was bleeding again and you were as pale as Casper!” Ashlyn finished her wild story. Ali just say there wide-eyed, momentarily thinking that the blonde was telling the truth. 

Ashlyn burst out laughing, not being able to take herself seriously any longer. Ali looked even more puzzled than she was before. 

“Oh my god, you should see your face,” Ash responded in between bits of laughter. 

“Yeah I know, there’s a huge gash on it smart ass,” Ali answered unamused. Ashlyn swears she stopped breathing in that moment. All the life draining from the face. That’s when she hears Ali start to laugh. 

“Now who looks like Casper?” the brunette questions with a smirk. Ashlyn puts a hand over her heart to calm her breathing. This girl is going to be the death of her!

“So Ash, care to tell me what really happened?” Ali questions her again. 

“I mean, that’s the truth,” Ashlyn begins, “well, besides the part involving my good looks and smile,” she answers the brunette with a shrug and a chuckle. Ali just nods and then smiles. 

“Thank you,” Ali finally breaks the silence. She locks eyes with the blonde and feels the mood in the room shift. Ashlyn must feel it too because she’s shifting on the bed slightly, like she’s nervous under Ali’s gaze. 

“You’re welcome,” Ash responds softly and sincerely, “it is the least I could do for almost killing you,” she adds with an exaggerated wink to dispel the tension that is accumulating in the room. Ali just shakes her head and rolls her eyes at the blonde. 

“You weren’t lying you know,” Ali says, looking into the blonde’s eyes earnestly. Ash just stares back at the brunette. Now she’s the confused one. 

“About the good looks and charming smile,” Ali adds and Ashlyn’s heart feels like it’s in her throat, beating a mile a minute. She can’t help how nervous she feels around the brunette, especially when she’s paying her a compliment. It’s everything she can do to sit still at this point. Her palms are sweating and although her heartbeat has slowed back down to a normal rate, she feels anxious. It’s like Ali is testing her and waiting for her to make the next move. But they barely know each other, right? Instead of taking a leap of faith, Ashlyn just shyly casts her eyes downward into her lap. 

“But you did forget something,” the blonde hears Ali’s voice again. She looks up to see soft brown eyes staring back at her. 

“I know we just met and everything...” Ali begins to say, never taking her eyes off of the blonde, “...but I think you’re a lot more than just a pretty face and cute smile.”

Ashlyn wants to pinch herself because she’s not sure if Ali is real at this point or if she’s dreamt the whole scenario. 

“Ash?” she hears Ali’s voice, which breaks her out of her spell. 

“Sorry,” Ashlyn shakes her head, giving Ali a shy smile, “I’m here.” Ali can’t help but break out into a huge smile, nose-crinkling cutely. Ashlyn thinks she’s going to pass out from how adorable it is. 

“Can you be like...here...” Ali asks shyly as she motions to the small space next to her. She back the blanket she’s laying under, waiting for the blonde to move. 

“I-uh-uhm-hmm,” Ashlyn can hardly form a word let alone a sentence, so she decides to rely on her actions instead. She stands up from her sitting position at the foot of Ali’s bed and slides in next to the brunette. Ash doesn’t even have time to respond before she feels Ali turn on her side and throwing her arm over the blonde’s stomach. Ashlyn’s muscles contract at the contact. 

After a beat, Ali whispers softly into the blonde’s neck. 

“You’re my hero. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter should be a lot longer than the previous two. At least I think...it felt longer when I wrote it! haha Anyways, I like this chapter a lot, and where the story might go from here on out. I have some ideas for Ali and Ashlyn's family to come into the mix so hang tight. 
> 
> This story will have trigger warnings eventually. So be aware of that. I'll make sure to post that in specific chapter notes when it comes up. This chapter gets a little...frisky? ;) Not too bad yet, so if you're down for that I think you'll enjoy this one! Any suggestions are welcome :) xoxo

Ashlyn wakes up warm and tingly, a smile plastered on her face. Though she’s not entirely sure why, given that sleep is still lingering deep in her veins, she guesses it has something to do with a certain brunette’s weight pressed tightly into her side. She blinks her eyes slowly, letting the early morning sun that has peeked through the hospital room blinds, into her sensitive hazel colored eyes. She shifts gently on the bed so as not to disturb the brunette, who is clutching onto her waist and has her head resting delicately against her right shoulder. 

\---------------

_“You’re my hero,” Ashlyn hears the girl leaning against her admit quietly._

_She wonders what other couples or strangers or friends or long lost lovers are confessing profound things to one another in this same hospital. She wonders how different the situation may play out to be if she doesn’t respond to the brunette. If she just lets the confession linger in the nooks and crannies of the hospital room they’re sharing. But she also wonders how different the situation may play out to be if she does, in fact, respond to the girl that makes her heartbeat quicken at a single touch. Would they become lovers, or maybe just best friends, or maybe after this moment they would never see one another again. Maybe it’s just an ironic, once in a lifetime kind of meeting. It’s just a moment that is meant to be remembered as it is. Two pulses colliding in colorful strands, leaving rainbows of light and dark in the caves of each of the girls’ heart. And when they let go of the heaviness between their unclasped hands, waking the next day to an ache in their fingertips, both will remember the greatness of the first and last time they collided._

_She decides to respond._

_But not with words._

_Ashlyn is an action kind of girl, especially when the girl she’s interested in makes it nearly impossible for her to form sentences without stumbling over syllables._

_She slips her right arm behind the brunette’s head and gently pulls the girl into her own side. Ali shifts and nuzzles her face into the crook of Ashlyn’s neck. The girl’s lips are soft against Ashlyn’s increasingly warm skin. She can feel Ali breathe in slowly, exhaling softly as her lips push closer to skin. Ashlyn is frozen in time. She squeezes her eyes shut trying to calm her rapid heartbeat at the idea of Ali’s lips pressed to her neck in a sweet kiss. The brunette’s breath is even and calm, it’s warm and safe. She feels warm and safe to Ashlyn._

_But Ashlyn doesn’t understand why. She has so many questions about this girl who is seemingly a stranger in her life. All she knows is that her name is Ali and judging by the Penn State hoodie she was clutching yesterday, there is a connection between the two. But why is Ali at UNC? And where is her family? Ashlyn imagines that a girl like this would have the perfect family, a mother and father and probably a sibling. She thinks about what the girl’s family would be like. Probably beautiful just like her, dark features with a certain lightness that can’t be understood through physicality. She imagines the girl’s sibling, probably older than she, and a boy. He’s protective of Ali, non-judgmental, and always supportive of his little sister’s dreams and happiness. But what Ashlyn can’t understand is why that perfect family isn’t with Ali at the hospital. Did nobody call her parents after the incident? And at that thought, imagining Ali alone in a hospital bed if it weren’t for her own warmth and comfort, sadness enters her eyes and she clutches the brunette closer than before._

_\---------------_

“Ashlyn...Ash...” the blonde hears her name being whispered into the air. She feels the other girl’s breath on her cheek. They’re so close. 

“Huh? Sorry...” Ashlyn finally snaps out of her daze, dreaming about last night. She looks over at Ali who is laying on her side, still draped over Ashlyn, but this time instead of tired eyes she’s met with the most beautiful smile she’s ever seen. 

“I only asked if you were awake yet, you didn’t miss much,” Ali said with a wink. The teasing nature of the brunette made Ashlyn’s heart flutter wildly, almost too much for her to handle so early in the morning. 

“Oh I’m awake,” the blonde shot back with an equally teasing tone. The two girls took that moment to stare at one another. Not in critical way, but in an observational way. Studying each other’s features in the soft morning light, the way Ashlyn’s eyes become greener, little specks of yellow and orange and brown mixed together in the sun. Ali’s nose-crinkling smile more infectious than any disease this hospital has ever seen, her laugh lines like the San Andreas fault, so deep you could fall right in...love. 

A knock on the door startles the girls from their voyage through each other’s beautiful physical features. 

“Good morning Ali,” a woman with scrubs and white lab coat greets cheerily. “I’m Dr. Boyd.”

“Hi,” Ali offers the doctor shyly, realizing that her and Ashlyn are still pressed closely together looking awfully intimate. 

“Sorry to interrupt you and your girlfriend, but I wanted to let you know that you are cleared to go home today,” the doctor says and both girl’s eyes explode from their heads. But they remain silent on the matter, not wanting to expose their hidden feelings for the other.  

“Th-thank you d-doctor,” Ali mumbles nervously, which snaps Ashlyn to attention. She loves the sound of this girl’s voice. 

“I’ll have the nurse bring in your release papers and explain further care instructions...” the doctor begins, “...you had quite the fall and lost some blood, which caused you to pass out. Luckily she brought you in just in time or things could have been worse.” The doctor gives Ashlyn a smile, as if she is the one who actually saved the patient’s life. 

“I mean, it was sort of my fault to begin with though,” Ashlyn says with her eyes downcast. She also felt guilty at the doctor’s words... _it could have been worse_. 

“No need to worry dear, I’m sure you won’t be in the dog house for long,” the doctor offers with a smirk, “Ali will make a full and speedy recovery.”  

Ashlyn’s head whips up to look at the doctor, then at Ali, who’s hands are covering her eyes in embarrassment, then back at the doctor. Dr. Boyd just pats Ashlyn’s thigh and leaves the room to fetch the nurse. 

Silences fills the room for what seems an eternity, or much too long than either girl would like. Just as Ali is about to speak up to break the tension the nurse walks in. 

“Hi Ms. Krieger,” the nurse begins, “here are your papers to be released, if you could just sign on the line please,” the nurse finishes handing the papers to Ali. At this, the girl finally sits up in bed and rests the papers on her lap, signing the dotted line. The nurse turns to Ashlyn, smiling and giving her instructions as well. 

“Honey if you could sign this for your girlfriend stating that she’s being released under your care,” the nurse states pointing to another dotted line just under Ali’s signature. Ashlyn clears her throat, looking at Ali with pleading eyes, but Ali just shrugs and hands her the pen to sign. 

“Alrighty then, you’re all set my dear,” the nurse says. “Would she like a wheelchair or can you escort Ms. Krieger from the hospital?” Ashlyn doesn’t know why the nurse is asking her when Ali is sitting right next to her. The girl hit her head, she didn’t lose her ability to speak for herself. But Ashlyn just smiles politely, answering the nurse, “Oh I’m sure I can handle this one,” as she points her thumb in the direction of the brunette. Now Ali is really burying her face in her hands, embarrassment fully taking over her body. 

Ashlyn stands from the bed, stretching, as the nurse exits the room to give the two girls some “privacy” as she said. Ashlyn gathers her things from the chair, throwing them into her backpack. She proceeds to walk over to Ali, who looks up from her hands and offers the blonde a small, shy smile. Ashlyn knows she’s in trouble. That smile changes her whole day and it’s only 10 a.m. 

“Are you ready to get out of here my darling girlfriend?” Ashlyn mocks the situation with a smirk on her face. Her usual confidence is coming back due to the shy and embarrassed brunette sitting on the bed. Ashlyn starts to think how funny and ironic the whole situation is. Remembering the confession between the two last night, Ashlyn wonders if maybe Ali is having what people call “hero syndrome.” After all, the doctor did dub Ashlyn as the one who saved Ali, or at least acted fast enough to lessen a bad situation. Maybe that’s what all of these weird feelings between the two are. 

Ali looks up at Ashlyn, who has her bag thrown over one shoulder and a waiting arm to escort her to the Jeep. Ali wants nothing more than to latch on to the blonde’s arm and never let go. She knows Ashlyn is an athlete and she would bet money that the girl has an amazing body underneath her loose fitting, dark-wash skinny jeans and black v-neck. 

“Ugh, I’m coming I’m coming,” Ali moves to stand and wobbles slightly on her legs. Although the doctor gave her an IV of fluids to help with the blood loss, she’s still a little shaky as to be expected. 

“Hey I’ve got you,” Ashlyn says as she instinctually moves to wrap an arm around Ali’s waist, pulling her in closely to her taller frame. Ali leans her body into Ashlyn easily. 

“I think I’ve heard that before,” Ali says looking up at Ashlyn, as if to question if she’s assuming correctly. 

Ashlyn just nods and gives the brunette a shy smile before grabbing Ali’s Penn State hoodie from the edge of the bed and heading towards the door. 

“Ash you don’t have to carry that, it has my blood all over it,” Ali states simply, reaching for the hoodie. 

“I just thought since we’re dating and all that it’s my honorary duty,” Ashlyn says plainly, as if that were the most normal thing for her to say. Ali stopped moving for just a moment to look up at Ashlyn, willing for the embarrassment to stop. Ashlyn paused to take in Ali’s expression, both nervous and a little excited, before breaking out into a huge smile and laughing wildly. Ali rolls her eyes at the blonde and gives her a light shove in the ribs. 

“Hey!” Ashlyn yells in a hushed voice. “Is that any way to treat your girlfriend? I didn’t peg you as the violent type...” The blonde is really on a roll with the jokes and Ali is growing more and more embarrassed by the second. 

“Ughhhh, you’re awful!” Ali shouts. A couple heads turn to look at the two girls who have made their way into the hospital hallway by now. The two girls just smile softly to keep questions at bay. 

“Well...that’s not what you said last night,” Ashlyn whispers into the side of Ali’s head. The blonde’s breath tickles the tip of Ali’s ear, sending pins and needles down her spine. Ali thinks about what she said. She’s not sure if Ashlyn was making a dirty joke, or if she was actually being sincere. 

Ali remembers what she told the blonde last night, and it was definitely not that she thought she was “awful.” Ashlyn is the complete opposite of awful. She can tell the blonde girl is genuine; the helping hand every time she’s about to fall, the tight embrace in the middle of what could have been a lonely night, the loving stares. Ali knows this girl is more than a pretty face. She’s made of pure goodness, but for some reason Ashlyn seems hesitant to let people know who she really is. She teeters back and forth on this balance beam of being a genuine, sweet, and overly affectionate individual versus being a sarcastic smart ass with more self-confidence than she knows what to do with. Ali can see it clearly. And Ashlyn is well aware of her balancing act, but sooner or later the truth always comes out. 

When the girls reach Ashlyn’s Jeep, Ali releases herself from Ashlyn’s hold. The blonde makes her way to the passenger side and open the door, gesturing for Ali to get in. Just as Ali approaches the open door she stop and levels with Ashlyn, looking directly into her hazel eyes. She moves forward one step, closing the gap between the two of them. Ashlyn’s breath hitches in her throat. She’s unsure of where Ali might take this. It seems awfully intimate, too intimate almost. Like they’re long-lost lover reuniting after 15 years of separation, seeing one another for the first time again. 

Ali reaches her hand up slowly so she doesn’t spook the blonde, and places her right palm on the taller girl’s cheek. She knows it’s a daring gesture, but she needs Ashlyn to realize something. With her free hand, Ali places it flat against Ashlyn chest near her heart. She leaves it there as she begins to talk. 

“I know you. I know who you are, and I’m not entirely sure why I was given that privilege, but I’m going to figure it out. You’re a genuine person Ashlyn, I can tell in the way you cared for me, someone who is a stranger to you. You didn’t have to go through all of this trouble, but here we are. That means something to me. More than you can ever imagine. And I’m not ready to tell you why, but I think one day I might like to. So for now, I just want you to know that I see you for who you really are.” Ali finishes her thought in a soft whisper, “You’d have to be blind to miss such a beautiful soul.”Ali removes her hands and gently slides into the passenger seat of Ashlyn’s Jeep, while the blonde stands motionless. Everything that Ali said felt like a dream. She’s never had a girl be so real and honest and upfront before. She’s terrified, but she’s never been more thankful for a girl like Ali to come into her life so unexpectedly. 

\---------------

The drive back to campus was quiet and filled with thick tension. Both girls knew that there was something more between them than friendship, but it almost felt too good to be true. Everything happened so quickly. They shouldn’t rush. They don’t even know if they’re actually friends. But they want to be. They need to be.

Ashlyn pulls her Jeep into the spot closest to their path back to the dorm. She unbuckles and gets out, running around the back of her car to grab Ali’s door for her. Ali smiles, her heart completely soaring at this point. _Ashlyn is so sweet without even realizing_ , she thinks to herself. As Ali begins to step out of the Jeep her foot catches the lip of the door jam and she falls into Ashlyn. Luckily, when Ali falls, Ashlyn is there to catch her.

“It’s official Stumbles, you’re a bigger klutz than I am,” Ashlyn says with a smile. Ali gives her a light shove as she regains her footing. 

“Yeah yeah, just help your girlfriend to her dorm before she injures anything else,” Ali says with her own teasing tone. The two girls share a smile and Ashlyn throws her arm around the brunette’s shoulder. Ali lets her body relax at the blonde’s touch and falls easily into her side. It feels comfortable, but exciting all the same. 

“Only the girlfriend when she needs something, I see how it is” Ashlyn chuckles and pulls Ali even further into her side as they begin their walk back. Ali giggles shyly and thinks about her response before she finally speaks up. 

“For now.” And with that Ashlyn loses control of her steady footing and her feet get tangled together. She unhooks herself from Ali making sure she doesn’t drag her down again. 

“Shit!” Ashlyn mutters under her breath as she tumbles forward and onto the pavement. Groaning in pain, the blonde lay on her back across the warm pavemant. 

“Ash! Ashlyn!” the blonde blinks her eyes in the beaming sunlight and soon the brunette comes into focus, blocking the bright rays. 

“Are you okay Klutzilla?” Ali asks trying to hide a smile. 

“Ughhhh, noooo,” Ashlyn whines as if she’s just fallen down a flight of steps.  

“Aww my poor baby, what hurts?” Ali crouches down next to Ashlyn looking at her for a response. 

“My pride, self-confidence, ego, any and all of them,” Ashlyn answers with a chuckle.  

“Come here you fool,” Ali stands up, but leans over to offer her hand to the blonde. Ashlyn takes it and regains her composure. 

“Do you want me to carry you?” Ali asks in a completely serious tone.  

“Uhm...” the blonde just stares at the girl like she’s lost her mind.  

“It seems to me accidents keep happening because someone has a hard time paying attention to where they’re going,” Ali takes a playful jab at the blonde. Her nose crinkles as she smiles widely, clearly proud of her own joke. Ashlyn can’t help but laugh at the girl in front of her.

“If you weren’t so damn adorable, I would so get you back for that one,” Ashlyn states simply with a smile. 

“Oh yeah...” Ali begins, “...you think I’m adorable?” The smirk is present on her face and she’s waiting for Ashlyn to make her move. 

“Nope, didn’t say that,” Ashlyn says simply. Ali just looks at her quizzically. 

“But, Ash...” Ali begins to say, but is cut off by the blonde.

“I said you’re ‘damn adorable,’” Ashlyn emphasizes the first word. She can’t help but smile at how Ali’s face lights up. _This girl is something else,_ she thinks. 

“Thanks,” Ali says shyly in a quiet mumble.

“See what I mean!” the blonde yells while laughing. 

“What!” Ali says throwing her hands over her eyes in embarrassment. Ashlyn walks closer to her, the confidence coming back. 

“You. So damn cute. I really want to...” Ashlyn begins to say something, but can’t quite finish. Ali hopes she knows where this is heading because she decides to add fuel to the fire. She steps closer to Ashlyn, removing all of the space left between them. 

“You really want to...what?” Ali asks in a hushed voice. Ashlyn thinks she’s going to pass out. Their fronts are pressed tightly together and she’s sure Ali can feel her heart beating out of her chest. The brunette is staring up into Ashlyn’s eyes, searching for an answer or even some form of hesitation. When she finds nothing, Ali tests the limits even further. She takes her right arm and grips Ashlyn’s tricep, squeezing lightly to get some sort of reaction from the blonde. Ali sees the taller girl’s body quiver and her eyes dip down to find Ali’s lips. Ali knows she’s staring right at them. She’s tempting Ashlyn, begging her to just do it. She lets her fingertips gently glide across Ashlyn’s muscular arm, tracing patterns on already inked skin. Ali loves tattoos; there's something comforting about the blonde's sleeve. She thinks of the saying, "wear your heart on your sleeve," and in this case, Ashlyn really does. 

Ashlyn moves her free hands to Ali’s waist, gripping with gentle authority. Ali’s breath catches in her throat and she falters in her tracing. Ashlyn sees this as her opportunity to strike, catching Ali while she’s flustered and completely under the blonde’s will. Ashlyn moves her right hand up to Ali’s jaw, tracing it lightly, before cupping it completely and moving it towards her own lips. Ali takes the smallest step forward, as if there were any space left between them as it was, completely encircling the blonde. She let’s Ashlyn press their lips together softly at first, while Ali presses both of her arms into Ashlyn’s back. The kiss becomes deeper, tighter, more intense, and Ali slowly drags her fingers down the blonde’s muscular back. Ashlyn hums in approval, deepening their kiss once more, both hands cradling the brunette’s face with gentle passion. 

“Wow,” Ali says breathlessly when they both reluctantly break apart. Her arms are still pressed tightly into Ashlyn’s back, like she’s giving her the biggest hug anyone could imagine. The blonde’s hands are now resting around Ali’s waist, holding her gently.  

“Uh huh,” Ashlyn responds softly, still completely enamored by the kiss they shared. She feels the brunette’s head fall into the crook of her neck. Ali takes a deep breath in and this time she does hug the blonde, squeezing ever so lightly. There’s something about Ali that has Ashlyn floating. She feels different, they feel different.  

“Hey, you okay?” Ashlyn speak up again. Ali nods her head against Ashlyn’s chest, not ready to let go. She presses several open-mouthed kisses to the blonde’s neck, loving the way the girl’s skin erupts in goosebumps. She works her way up the blonde’s defined jawline until she’s staring into beautiful hazel eyes once more.  

“Hi,” Ali says softly. 

 “Hey,” Ashlyn offers back with a smile that reaches her eyes. 

“I wanna be the one this time,” Ali says in a mumble that Ashlyn can’t quite understand. 

“The one this time...” Ashlyn begins, “...for what?” she finishes. Ali stares up at the blonde’s pink lips before moving in slowly. 

“The one to say ‘Hey, I’ve got you,’” Ali supplies as she leans in to the blonde’s lips, pressing them together in a kiss full of desire and passion and undiscovered, but possible, love. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys! Really appreciate the feedback on this. The story should really pick up from this chapter forward. I had to set the stage between the two girls. There will be some traumatic events that take place in this and the girls discuss them together and work through it. I don't want to give away too much, but I can say neither one of them dies, but death is discussed as one girl really struggles with what's happened in her past. Enough with the sad though, there's some more presents in this one for you ;) Enjoy! xoxo

After their heated kiss, Ali and Ashlyn walk back to the dorms together, arms holding tightly to one another in a tangled mess. The walk is short, but with so many emotions hanging in the air between the two, it feels like an eternity until they finally see their building just ahead. Both girls are in their own heads, wondering what the next step is for them but afraid to speak up on their feelings. They take the time to observe things about the other that they maybe hadn’t noticed, or felt, right from the start.

Ali loves how she fits into the side of Ashlyn’s body, like a puzzle piece or the missing line to an intricate chunk of the blonde’s tattoo. She lets Ashlyn’s arm hand around her shoulder, wrapping her own arms around the taller girl’s waist in a tight hug. There’s a good three-inch height difference between the two; Ali feels safe, something she hasn’t felt in years. She misses the sense of familiarity, of someone to be waiting for her with open arms and ears when she comes home after a tough day of training, someone to tell her it’s okay, to hug her deeply and let her fall apart on their shoulder. She misses that; she misses _them_. 

Ashlyn gently squeezes the brunette’s shoulder, sensing that the smaller girl’s thoughts are running wild. She’s not sure what Ali is thinking about, and she’s hoping it doesn’t have anything to do with their kiss. She’s never quite felt something so intense in her entire life, and she wants nothing more for that feeling to never go away. So to ease Ali’s potentially nervous thoughts, she gave her shoulder that squeeze to let her know she understand, and that she’s here for the brunette. 

At the small gesture, Ali tucks her head under the crook of the blonde’s neck and breathes in deeply, the smell of sweet cologne that is unmistakably Ashlyn. Her fingertips play with the soft fabric at the front of Ashlyn’s t-shirt. She smiles to herself, wondering how far she can push the blonde before she cracks again. Ali slowly and gently runs her fingertips across the blonde’s abs, feeling them clench tightly under her touch. She looks up at hazel eyes to see Ashlyn smiling down at her. Ali let’s a light chuckle escape her lips which catches the blonde’s attention further. 

“What?” Ashlyn asks smiling even wider now. 

Ali breaks out into a nose-crinkling smile, answering “nothing” as she looks down, suddenly embarrassed by their closeness. Ashlyn quickly puts the brunette’s worry to rest when she brings her hand up to Ali’s head and pushes her to lean back into her chest again. Ali nuzzles her face deeper into Ashlyn’s t-shirt, exhaling relief. 

“How do you do that?” Ali finally asks, breaking the silence that has settled between them.  

“What’s _that_?” the blonde asks, teasing laced in her voice. 

“Nevermindddd,” Ali mumbles into the girl’s chest. 

“Aw, come on, don’t do that Al,” Ashlyn pleads, a smile on her face. Ali breaks out into a smile that reaches clear to her light brown eyes when she hears the blonde call her “Al.” She feels Ashlyn rub her shoulder softly to shake the shyness away. Ali sighs and knows she isn’t getting off the hook with this one. 

“You just know me so well, it’s crazy,” Ali says quietly. The girls come to a stop outside of their building. Ashlyn removes her arm from the brunette, instantly missing the smaller girl’s comforting touch. Ali fits like her favorite snapback. She fits like a good pair of jeans or a pair of sneakers you’ll never be able to get rid of no matter how many holes they collect. So she reaches for the brunette’s hand to feel close again, not even realizing her action until she sees Ali drop her eyes to their intertwined fingers. 

“Sorry, too much?” Ashlyn asks shyly, realizing that maybe holding hands is more intimate than a “walking hug.” She quickly lets go of the brunette’s hand, not wanting to push her luck too much. Ashlyn knows girls do that with their best friends, she sees it all the time. Walking down the street together in groups, holding on to one another; it’s like a statement of girl power or something. She thinks of the image in her head and laughs lightly, but is brought back to reality when she feels Ali grab for her hand. 

“N-no, it’s okay,” Ali finally answers softly, bringing her eyes up to meet Ashlyn’s. 

Ashlyn lets out a wide grin at Ali’s action. “You have beautiful eyes,” the blonde blurts out without thinking twice. Her tone is laced with confidence, almost shocking herself at how bold she’s being with this Ali. But she doesn’t care because the truth is, Ali _does_ have beautiful eyes. She’s known this girl for less than 24 hours, but has already seen the different shades that her eyes can become. When they first crashed into one another, Ashlyn saw golden brown; in the hospital, when her eyes were still sleepy and cute, Ashlyn saw darker browns and flecks of orange from the morning sun. In this moment, Ashlyn sees an almost hazel color, but in the way of her own eye color. Ali’s eyes were a beautiful shade of light brown, like caramel and chocolate swirling together in perfect harmony. When she looks deeper she sees specks of orange and green and yellow, creating depth, darkness, and a soft lightness. She lets her eyes then slowly trace over the soft features of Ali’s face, noticing deep laugh lines, her cute nose, the way the girl sometimes bites her tongue between her teeth when she smiles. Ashlyn thinks, or better yet, knows, that she wants to continue exploring all of Ali’s beautiful features. 

“See, _this_ is what I mean,” Ali says gazing into strong hazel eyes. Ashlyn cocks her head to the side and Ali thinks she might die from how cute the sight is. Ashlyn’s like a big fluffy puppy that you want to cuddle with. She’s loyal and caring, and when you’re in danger, she’ll be there to rescue you. Ali knows this for certain.   

“I told you I could see you, and I’m even more sure now about the kind of person you are than I was an hour ago,” Ali begins to say to the blonde. “I can’t help but think that maybe, as unbelievably crazy as this sounds, you and I crashed into each other for a reason.” Ashlyn grips the girl’s hand tighter and smiles. Ali is relieved at the blonde’s reaction; _Ashlyn must feel it too_ , she thinks. 

“Al--” Ashlyn begins to say but is cut off. 

“Please tell me I’m not crazy, that you feel this too,” Ali says in an almost pleading voice as she brings their joined hands up and guides Ashlyn’s over her heart. The blonde completely melts at the gesture. There’s something Ali isn’t telling her, she knows it. Ashlyn can’t help but notice a certain brokenness in the brunette’s voice, and at that realization, her heart shatters for the smaller girl. She knows someone as beautiful as Ali, inside and out, doesn’t deserve whatever traumatic event has occurred in her life. 

Ashlyn pulls her hand away from Ali’s, and she immediately sees how panicked the brunette becomes. Ali thinks that she’s lost the blonde now. She’s scared her away because maybe Ashlyn isn’t who she thought. Maybe the blonde isn’t interested in anything serious, maybe she just wants to be friends who occasionally fall into each other’s lips. Ali’s heart starts beating wildly and Ashlyn can sense that something is very wrong. 

“Al...” Ashlyn says in a quiet voice so she doesn’t spook the girl. But it’s too late, Ali is slowly backing away from Ashlyn in what looks like full panic. “I’m s-sorry, I, I--” Ali begins to mumble under her breath, but turns away before she finishes. The blonde doesn’t know what’s happening, but whatever it is it’s happening fast. She barely has time to blink before Ali is even further away from her, back completely facing Ashlyn. The blonde sees Ali’s pace pick up as she breaks out into a light jog towards their building. Ashlyn watches the girl run away from her, wiping her arm across her eyes to, she assumes, wipe away fallen tears. Ashlyn now, is the one in a full panic. _What did I do?_   Feeling terrible, she knows she has to fix it. She does the only thing she’s ever been good at, she runs. 

But this time, she’s running towards something, not away from it. 

“Al!” Ashlyn yells as she jogs behind the girl, “Ali, please wait!” she yells again. 

Ali hears Ashlyn running up behind her and she comes to a stop. She doesn’t have the energy to keep running from her feelings, past and present ones. She stands still with her back still turned to the blonde girl. Ashlyn’s voice sounds confused and worried; she wonders if this is a good sign. Maybe she got it all wrong second-guessing Ashlyn. Maybe she should have waited for her. She’s embarrassed now and her head hangs down. Bringing both of her hands up to her face, she tries to quickly wipe away her tears, but for some reason they keep falling. Maybe she needs this; maybe the release of pent up emotions for her past will help to guide her towards what she wants for her present and future. 

Ashlyn sees Ali’s shoulders shaking lightly as she stands behind her. She can tell the brunette is trying to slow her tears as she hears her take in some deep breaths. Nothing seems to be working for Ali though; it seems her tears only continue to fall. Ashlyn knows not to speak up at a moment like this. She admits that Ali makes her nervous as hell, but now is not a time to be nervous. She moves in closer to the brunette and places a hand on her shoulder, letting Ali know she’s behind her. At the blonde’s touch, Ali noticeably relaxes. Ashlyn takes the opportunity to move her arms around Ali’s shoulders and engulf her in a tight hug, molding their bodies together in warmth and comfort. 

“Hey,” Ashlyn whispers into Ali’s neck as she places a soft kiss there. A single tear slips down Ali’s cheek and onto Ashlyn’s forearm. Ashlyn can tell how broken the girl is; she knows now that it doesn’t have anything to do with her, but with something much greater. She hugs Ali even tighter before shifting her so that they’re standing front to front. Ashlyn brings her thumb up to wipe the smaller girl’s tear-stained cheek. Her usually golden brown eyes are rimmed red and puffy from crying, but Ashlyn still thinks she’s the most beautiful girl in the world. And she makes she to look into Ali’s eyes, conveying just that to her. 

Running her hand down Ali’s arm she grabs onto her wrist lightly before softly saying, “Come here babe.” Ashlyn pulls the brunette into her, wrapping her arms protectively around the smaller girl’s shoulders. She squeezes her tightly, letting Ali know that’s she’s here and she’s never going to let her go. Ali melts into the blonde, the feeling of her strong arms wrapping around her, holding her tightly to her chest. Ali takes in a deep breath and exhales loudly, feeling infinitely better in this girl’s arms. 

“Please don’t run away from me this time,” Ashlyn whispers into Ali’s hair by the girl’s ear. Ashlyn feels Ali tremble at her words, but knows it’s now or never. She slowly releases her grip on the brunette, crossing her fingers she stays put this time. Ali takes a small step backwards, but Ashlyn is quick to act this time. She grabs onto both of Ali’s hands and intertwines their fingers, holding on tightly. She pulls the brunette forward so that she’s closer to Ashlyn than she was before she took a step away. Finally, Ali lets a small smile escape.  

“Much better,” Ashlyn says looking into the girl’s eyes, a smile on her face as well. 

“Ashlyn-” Ali begins to say but is cut off by the blonde. 

“Just let me say this first, please,” Ashlyn says in an undemanding tone, but a serious one full of compassion. Ali clears her throat and nods for the blonde to continue. 

“You were right Al,” Ashlyn begins, exhaling deeply. “I feel it too.” At those four words Ali’s smile returns in full force, eyes and nose crinkling in their adorable fashion. Ashlyn continues, “I pulled away from you earlier so I could do this,” and at that she releases her hands from Ali’s, grabbing the brunette’s face gently and crashing their lips together. The kiss is unlike anything either girl has experienced before. There’s love in this one; not the kind of love that says, ‘i’m in love with you, let’s get married and have kids,’ but rather a kiss that says, ‘i love who you are and want nothing more than to be with you fully.’ Ashlyn brings her hands from Ali’s jaw to the back of the girl’s head, pulling her in even closer. Ali moans softly at the blonde’s control and dominance. It’s non-threatening, making Ali feel safe and protected and loved, something she hasn’t felt since the accident. It’s a huge turn on for Ali as Ashlyn plays with the hairs at the base of her neck and lightly dragging her fingernails against the brunette’s skin. Ashlyn chuckles softly and smirks into the kiss when she feels goosebumps erupt across Ali’s skin. “Shut up,” Ali says breathlessly and grips the collar of Ashlyn’s t-shirt, yanking her back into a heated kiss. Now it’s Ashlyn that releases a soft moan of her own, loving the way Ali completely took control of her. “Shit,” the blonde mumbles into Ali’s lips. Ashlyn’s usually the dominant one any time she’s in a relationship, but the way this girl just put her in her place is seriously turning her on. She takes the kiss up one notch, softly tracing her tongue across Ali’s bottom lip. When she feels Ali’s breath hitch and her mouth part for just a few seconds longer than normal, Ashlyn knows she hooked her. She feels Ali’s hands, that were clawing at her back in a fit of desire, now work their way underneath her shirt. Ali bites Ashlyn’s bottom lip, pulling it back gently and releasing it with a ‘pop.’ The brunette’s fingers are playing with the band of Ashlyn’s boxer briefs, while gently caressing her soft skin. The girl’s eyes lock onto one another as they stand in a close embrace. 

“Go on a date with me,” Ashlyn’s voice is breathy and confident and Ali thinks it’s the sexiest thing she’s ever heard. She smirks, thinking she’ll give the blonde a better answer than words. She reaches her hand up behind Ashlyn’s head and pulls the girl down into her. Ali enters her tongue into the blonde’s mouth in a deep kiss, making sure to drag her free hand down the blonde’s chest as she does. Ashlyn’s head is completely spinning. Ali’s touch ignites a fire in the pit of her stomach and she can hardly see straight from the emotions coursing through her body. _I guess that’s a yes_ , she thinks. 

Ali releases from the kiss, but leaves her hand over the blonde’s chest. She looks at Ashlyn before smirking to herself. The blonde notices this action and tilts her head in curiosity.  

“What?” Ashlyn finally asks. 

“You are seriously so hot right now,” Ali says in a whisper as she leans up into the blonde’s ear. Ashlyn audibly gulps and the brunette notices. “But I think we should go inside now, people are staring,” Ali continues. Ashlyn’s eyes go wide, forgetting that they’re standing in the middle of campus. She whips her head around and then laughs lightly, covering her eyes in embarrassment.  

“Come on... _babe_ ,” Ali says with a wink and pulls the blonde into their dorm building by her wrist. Ashlyn just groans from behind them, knowing she’s really in trouble now. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update. I was having writers block. And I still am, but I forced myself to write this. Sorry if there are any typos...   
> You'll get their full date scene next chapter. This is just the set-up so to speak. Hope you enjoy! xoxo

Ali and Ashlyn stand pressed together, noses just barely touching as they look longingly into each other’s eyes. Soft smiles grace their lips as silence fills the air between them. It’s comfortable silence though; Ashlyn runs her hands up and down the brunette’s arms as they lean against the smaller girl’s door. 

“Hey,” Ali whispers shyly. 

“Oh, now she’s shy.” Ashlyn teases. Ali ducks her head and blush creeps into her cheeks. The blonde thinks it’s the cutest thing she’s ever seen. 

“Shut up,” the brunette answers back, lightly shoving Ashlyn’s shoulder. 

“Aw, I’m only kidding,” Ashlyn begins, “come back here,” she finishes as she pulls Ali back into her chest. The brunette smiles and inhales deeply. She’s happier in this moment than she’s been in the past five years. 

Five years. It’s been a long time since the accident. She can’t believe how quickly something so life-changing, something at the very forefront of her every daydream and nightmare, can become another memory of the past. Sure, every moment of the present becomes the past at one point or another, but Ali never thought that moment would go away. The screams of terror in the middle of the night, of waking up alone, of understanding loneliness. It ate away at her for the first year after the accident; she barely slept. She walked around like a zombie, dark circles under her eyes. She barely made it to high school graduation. Thank god for the few friends she kept. 

“Earth to Ali,” the brunette is shaken from her thoughts by the sound of Ashlyn’s voice. It’s like velvety music to her ears. She smiles lightly. 

“Are you okay babe?” the blonde asks her with a questioning and worried gaze.

“Oh, uhm, yeah sorry,” Ali shakes it off, “just thinking about...uh...stuff,” she answers solemly. 

Ashlyn looks at her carefully; she feels bad for the smaller girl. Whoever, or whatever, has caused Ali so much pain and heartache is breaking Ashlyn down. Ali is the sweetest girl she’s ever met; she definitely doesn’t deserve to go through whatever it is she’s going through, alone. 

“So how about that date?” Ashlyn asks, changing the topic. She genuinely wants to get to know Ali better. She wants to know everything she can about the girl. How she got her beautiful whiskey colored eyes and blinding smile. What sports she played growing up and if her parents got as crazy as hers did. If she actually does have an older brother, and if so what he’s like. She wants to know her dreams, passions, what she wants to be when she graduates. 

She looks down at Ali with an expectant smile. Ali stares up at her, wondering how she got this lucky. After everything, how did she meet this beautiful girl who treats her like she’s the only one left in the world. A smile breaks through Ali’s saddened expression. 

“Definitely,” Ali answers softly, “how could I say no to this face?” she says as she reaches up to pinch Ashlyn’s dimple. The blonde blushes hard and squeezes her eyes shut in embarrassment. 

“Oh you are too cute,” Ali says while laughing at the blonde’s reaction. She’s surprised how embarrassed Ashlyn gets when she compliments her. Ashlyn doesn’t seem like the type to shy away from that; badass sleeve of intricate tattoos, snapback, a little swagger to her walk. Her overall aura would indicate arogance without actually having a conversation first--judging a book by its cover. Ali would never go for a girl like Ashlyn. But then again, the girl she thought Ashlyn would be turned out to be anything but. She’s gorgeous and a total badass at times, but also soft and gentle and really genuine. Ali feels like she hit the jackpot to life. No amount of money or material things could amount to the way she feels about Ashlyn. 

“Stoppppppp,” Ashlyn whines cutely as Ali continues to grab her face and poke her dimple. Ashlyn finally composes herself enough to grab Ali’s waist, which causes the brunette to squeal, much to Ashlyn amusement. Suddenly a smirk crosses Ashlyn’s face. 

“Ash...don’t even...” Ali begins to warn her, but is too late. The blonde grips Ali’s waist tighter, tickling her relentless while holding the brunette so she can’t escape. 

“Stop!” Ali is skrieking and laughing wildly and wiggling trying to break free. Ashlyn is now laughing too because she never imagined Ali to be this ticklish. 

“Okay, okay, I’m done,” Ashlyn chuckles lightly and releases the brunette, holding her hands up in surrender. Ali has a look in her eyes like she’s about the strike in retaliation, but there’s no way Ashlyn is ready for the brunette to know one of her biggest weaknesses. She slowly starts to back up, away from the brunette. 

“Listen, Al, let’s just talk...” Ashlyn says slowly as she continue to back up, only to have Ali step forward with each movement. She sees Ali’s eyes glaze over in attack mode and she knows she’s in serious trouble so she whips around and takes off in a sprint down the hall to her own room. 

“Ashlyn!” Ali shouts playfully and starts chasing after the blonde, but her longer legs prove challenging to keep up with. 

“Sorry Al!” Ashlyn begins, “pick you up tonight at 7:00!” Ashlyn shouts back over her shoulder and disappears around the corner, yanking her door open and locking it. 

“That girl...” Ali says to herself as she returns to her own door, chuckling at the playful blonde. 

“That girl...” Ashlyn says to herself as she leans against the inside of her door, laughing at their silly antics. 

Little do they know how alike they are, and how quickly they’re falling into sync with one another. 

\---------------

It’s 6:30 p.m. and Ali is pacing back and forth in her room, fumbling through outfit after outfit. She has no idea what to wear because Ashlyn didn’t tell her where they were going tonight, and she doesn’t even have her phone number to text her and ask. The clock is ticking away, edging closer and closer to 7:00. Ali’s sweating at this point and in full panic. She looks in the mirror quickly, assessing her makeup and hair. 

“Well at least this part of me look put together...” she mumbles to herself. She runs her fingers through her dark brown locks that hang in loose waves over her one shoulder. “You got this Al...” she says to herself again. 

It’s now 6:50 p.m. and Ali rushes to her closet. She decides to keep it casual, but not too casual, so to cover all bases. She definitely doesn’t want to look like a slob next to the blonde, who she’s sure would make a paper bag look sexy. 

There’s a knock on the door. Ali checks her outfit one last time in the mirror to make sure she’s all ready to go. Once she’s ready, she grabs her clutch and her phone and moves to open the door. On the other side of the door is a nervous looking Ashlyn with a handful of beautifully colored flowers. “These are for you,” she says shyly as she moves the bouquet towards Ali. “Ashhhh...” Ali says sweetly, not believing how thoughtful this girl really is. “They’re so beautiful,” Ali finishes her thought. “Not as beautiful as you,” Ashlyn says with a soft smile that isn’t her usual cocky respone. Ali’s heart melts at the gesture. “Thank you Ashlyn,” and Ali moves to give the blonde a one-armed hug and quickly places a gentle kiss to her neck just below the blonde’s ear. They pull back from the hug with shy smiles. Ashlyn clears her throat and Ali quickly moves to open her door further so she can place the flowers in her room. 

Ali comes back out and they both stand awstruck at one another, now that all distractions are gone. Ashlyn has black Doc Marten boots on with black skinny jeans, a plain grey v-neck that hugs her biceps nicely, and of course her signature black and white polkadot snapback. Ali can’t help but take a few steps forward, automatically drawn to the blonde. While Ali takes in the blonde, Ashlyn is doing the same thing to Ali. The brunette has on black nike sneakers, black skinny jeans that are rolled twice at the ankle and a distressed purple cropped tee that shows just the right amount of skin. Ashlyn’s head is spinning. She can see Ali’s muscles through her jeans and the girl’s abdominal muscles are peaking through that shirt every so slightly. Ashlyn thinks about what she would like without all of those clothes. She takes an assertive step towards Ali, closing the gap between them. 

Whispering in the brunette’s ear, Ashlyn says, “You really do look beautiful tonight.” Ali blushes at the compliment and says, “You look pretty hot yourself.” The pull back just slightly from one another, wanting nothing more than to kiss each other, but they know better. If someone makes a move they’ll never actually get to the date part. So it’s Ashlyn who breaks the tension. 

“Shall we?” she smiles as she offers Ali her right arm. Ali smiles widely back at the sweet gesture. 

“We shall,” she giggles and grips the blonde’s bicep gently. Ashlyn shudders at the sensation of Ali’s fingers lightly scratching back and forth over her muscle. The blonde looks down at how Ali rests her head lightly against her shoulder and she smiles at the thought of doing this for the rest of her life, with the same girl by her side. Ali can feel Ashlyn’s eyes on her and she lifts head slightly, looking up into her favorite pair of hazel eyes. They’re darker than normal though, an almost solid brown color if it weren’t for that glint of mischief she sees sparkling in the light of the hallway. Ali squeezes the blonde’s bicep tighter and places her free hand across the blonde’s stomach. 

In that moment, they both realize that it’s going to be a long night full of adventures and, as Ashlyn’s eyes had called it, mischief.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update finally! This is an extra long one for you guys :) This is definitely not your average first date that's for sure, but then again these two girls aren't average ;) 
> 
> **Trigger Warning** mentions of death so if you're sensitive please be aware. Neither Ali nor Ashlyn dies in this fic, and there are no mentions of suicide. 
> 
> ***I updated the "summary" so now you'll see both girls are in their junior year of college. Just for the sake of the story. I know Ali is actually older. Let me live :p

Ashlyn, in all of her radiant self confidence and charm, guides Ali down the same path they are now so familiar with. The same path that Ashlyn walked to find her dorm building, the path that she later hurriedly carried Ali down as they made their way to the hospital, the path the two girls admitted attraction for one another while tightly wound around each other’s bodies, and finally, the path where Ashlyn hopes is the beginning of her last first date.

The nighttime air is warm with a slight breeze blowing through their hair. Ashlyn looks at the brunette from the corner of her eye; Ali’s face is lit up by the soft glow of pathway lights and the campus cafe. The blonde commits this image of Ali to memory. It seems unimportant, but Ashlyn wants to remember how Ali looks in every ounce of light. How the brunette’s eye color changes from darker to lighter, from a deep brown to a whiskey color with underlying hues of orange shining through. No matter what kind of light falls upon Ali, she always looks more beautiful than the last image Ashlyn saves of her. In this moment, as the girls continue their walk, tangled around each other in comfortable silence, Ashlyn catches something in Ali’s expression that she hasn’t seen before--peace.

Ali feels Ashlyn’s gaze from the side and a soft smile plays at her lips. The blonde is fully aware she’s been caught staring, but she doesn’t avert her eyes. This further intrigues the brunette, her smile becoming wider now. Ali doesn’t give into the blonde’s game though, she keeps her eyes trained straight ahead and grips the blonde’s flexed bicep even tighter. Her touch is soft, but possessive, letting everyone who may say the two tonight that the sexy blonde is hers and nobody else’s. _At least for tonight_ , Ali thinks, her smile falling just slightly. If Ashlyn weren’t so attentive she would have never caught the slip in Ali’s smile, but of course the blonde notices. Ali’s smile is one of her favorite things.

“You okay?” Ali feels the blonde’s warm, sweet breath on the shell of her ear. She shudders at the gesture, letting that feeling just take over her body for a moment. Forgetting her doubts and insecurities and worries that Ashlyn might not be permanent. After all, it’s been awhile since anything is permanent in Ali’s life.

She lets out a deep sigh and grabs onto the blonde’s hand with her free one. “Of course, I’m here with you,” Ashlyn smiles at the brunette’s words. She wants more than anything to believe her, but she feels Ali is leaving out something important. Maybe something that she’s afraid of, or that she’s afraid of Ashlyn knowing. The blonde squeezes Ali’s hand gently and reassuring, letting the brunette know that she’s here specifically for her.

“And I’m with you Al, _really_ with you,” the blonde begins to say, “it’s our first date and everything is new between us, but you can trust me. I promise I’m not going anywhere.” Ali stops walking suddenly and turns slightly so she’s facing away from the blonde. Ashlyn starts to panic thinking she said the wrong thing or too much or it’s all too soon for her to be giving the brunette life advice. Maybe she should’ve kept her mouth shut like her mother always used to tell her.  
“Please, don’t promise me that,” the blonde barely hears the brunette girl who’s voice has disappeared into a mumbled whisper. Ashlyn frowns and cocks her head slightly in wonderment. She still has no idea what’s eating this girl, but she’s beginning to slowly realize that whatever it is has wedged itself deep into her heart causing, quite possibly, permanent damage.

“Ali--” she begins to respond, to comfort the broken girl in front of her, but she stops as Ali slowly turns around to face Ashlyn. Her head is down and the blonde doesn’t need someone to tell her that Ali is crying.

“I-oh my-what did I-Ali I am so sorry. So so sorry just please tell me what to do,” Ashlyn rushes out in a breath of panic and embarrassment. This is _not_ how she wanted their first date to go. They haven’t even left campus and she already reduced the brunette, that she’s crushing on hardcore, to tears. And there’s nothing she can do but lean in to hug Ali, hoping she doesn’t push her away.

Ashlyn slowly wraps her strong arms around Ali. One is pressed firmly into the back of her shoulders and the other presses the back of Ali’s head into her chest. The brunette doesn’t put up any resistance which is a good sign to Ashlyn, but silence still hangs in the air between them. Ashlyn places a tender kiss to the top of Ali’s head and that’s when she feels a shift. Ali finally moves her dangling arms up to the blonde’s waist. She squeezes Ashlyn tightly around the middle, like if she doesn’t grip her tightly enough she will disappear into thin air. Ashlyn gently strokes her fingers through the brunette’s hair and places another kiss to the top of her head, taking in the sweet vanilla smell of Ali’s shampoo. She feels Ali’s grip loosen just slightly before she feels the girl’s fingers trace circular patters into her muscled back. Ashlyn moves so she’s able to kiss the side of Ali’s head, slowly and gently moving her way down towards the brunette’s lips. She leaves a lingering, sweet kiss on Ali’s cheek before she moves to kiss the corner of the brunette’s mouth. She feels Ali smirk under her gesture and knows she has the brunette right where she wants her. Ashlyn is good for a lot of things, and teasing is definitely one of those things. The blonde lets her arms fall to Ali’s waist, smoothly slipping under the girl’s shirt and toying with the hem of her jeans. Ali nuzzles her face in closer to Ashlyn’s and now their lips are barely an inch apart. Ashlyn digs her fingers into Ali’s back which makes the brunette moan softly. Ashlyn moves in closer, her lips parted and tracing lightly over Ali’s, but not sealing the deal quite yet. She knows it’s driving the brunette crazy; she can feel Ali start to pant in desire. It’s then that Ashlyn feels the brunette slip one hand into her back pocket and lightly squeeze, while the other rests on her hip. Their faces are so close it would seem impossible to make clear eye contact, but Ali makes it happen. She nudges her nose against Ashlyn’s and looks up into hazel eyes. As she does this she gets out an important sentence, broken up by her breathlessness that the blonde has caused. “Can you please just kiss me so I know you’re really here,” and Ashlyn isn’t one to tease without a little rewarding at the end.

Their kiss is so soft and gentle and slow it almost kills them both. Raw emotion is coursing through their veins, and hearts are pounding rapidly in hopes they can both convey their feelings for one another before time runs out. In hopes of saving their first date night together before it’s too late. Tongues tangle together in heated passion, fighting for control of the kiss, neither relenting. Ashlyn wants control so Ali will know that she’s loved and safe with the blonde. Ali wants control so Ashlyn will know how sorry Ali is for almost ruining their date, and for keeping a big secret from her. They’re both trying to make up for things, both trying to convince the other of what they feel. Moans slips between their lips, dancing in the nighttime air. It’s hot and sweet and perfect; neither wants to break the kiss, but both know they should. Ashlyn pulls on Ali’s bottom lip gently with her teeth, running her tongue across that part of Ali’s lip in a synchronized motion. Things slow down further after that, with Ali playfully nipping at the blonde’s lip following with a few chaste pecks. They rest their foreheads together gently and take deep, calming breaths to slow their wild heartbeats.

“I told you, I’m not going anywhere,” Ashlyn dares to be the first to speak in their shared silence. Ali mumbles cutely and shoves her face into the chest of the blonde, shielding her own embarrassment.

“Sorry,” the brunette mumbles against Ashlyn’s shirt. The blonde pulls Ali away from her body so she can look her in the eyes.

“Don’t apologize, I mean I usually don’t kiss on the first date, but for you, I gladly made the exception,” Ashlyn says with a wink and a smirk to dissolve the tension. For this, Ali is thankful. Ashlyn is good at teasing, yes, but she’s also good at making people smile. Ali looks up into Ashlyn’s eyes and sees nothing but loyalty and a genuine person. Then she remembers Ashlyn’s words...the date.

“Oh god, our date,” Ali whines and covers her face with her hands. She feels guilty; she’s always the one to break down and cry.

“Yeah, we should probably get going,” Ashlyn checks her wrist for the imaginary time on her imaginary watch. Ali smiles the same nose-crinkling smile that melts the blonde’s heart.

“You are too much,” Ali says with a smile shaking her head back and forth. Ashlyn responds only by smiling back at the brunette and reaching for her hand. They enjoy the evening air as they make their way to Ashlyn’s Jeep, down the same path that has thus far held so much meaning for the two girls.

\---------------

They don’t drive very far. In fact, they’re just on the edge of campus when Ashlyn brings her Jeep to a stop. Ali looks around slightly confused as to what they could possibly be doing. There aren’t any restaurants or shops that she can see, or very many people either; she isn’t familiar with the area at all having just transferred to UNC this year, so maybe Ashlyn knows something she doesn’t. But like the blonde told Ali she could, the brunette trusts her.

Ashlyn opens Ali’s door for her, which snaps the brunette out of her thoughts. She extends her hand to the girl in the passenger seat and helps her out onto the ground. Ali smiles at the sweet gesture. The two girls move to the back of Ashlyn’s Jeep where the blonde grabs a few items from the inside.

“Ready cutie pie?” Ashlyn asks with a big cheesy grin on her face. Ali can’t help but blush at how adorable the blonde is being with her. If this is a first date with Ashlyn then she can’t imagine what date number two or twelve and twenty-seven will be like.

“Mhm, but what’s with all the stuff?” Ali asks with a shy smile and curious eyes.

“Ah, that’s for me to know and for you to wait and see,” Ashlyn winks and guides the two of them to the open space that Ali noticed in the distance when they first parked. The girls flirt back and forth during their walk, coming closer and closer to their final destination.

“Ash...” Ali begins, very confused by the sight in front of her. A soccer field. The UNC soccer field to be exact. Ali had seen it in pictures the coach sent her through several emails during her transfer process. She recognized it now. It gave her chills and anxiety while excitement and nervousness raced through her body. She didn’t know what to feel. Soccer was her whole life before the accident. She had a full scholarship to Penn State, and then everything fell apart. She fell apart.

“Just, wait,” Ash begins, “there’s more to it.” Ali squints up at the blonde with a curious expression, but she doesn’t say anything. She lets the blonde lead them to the soccer field, hand in hand. What Ali finds even more curious is the specific spot that Ashlyn leads them to. It’s the goal nearest them. Ashlyn drops Ali’s hand and begins to unravel all of the things she was carrying from her Jeep. Ali just watches her with a small smile; the blonde is carefully unfolding a thick blanket to spread out under the goal. Ali notices something in the middle of the blanket that look an awful lot like bluetooth speakers and her smile widens. _This girl is something else, really_.

Ashlyn takes a seat on one side of the blanket and extends her hand to motion for Ali to sit down too. “Ash, this is serious so cute, but...why?” Ali asks with an adorable smile as she sits down in between the blonde’s legs. Ashlyn wraps her arms around the brunette’s waist and leans forward, moving the brunette’s hair to one side and kissing right between Ali’s shoulder blades. Ali shudders which makes Ashlyn smirk. But her smirk goes away and the mood between the two shifts to something more serious. Lighthearted, but serious. Then Ashlyn starts talking in time with Ali’s breathing, like a well-synchronized dance.

“I know it seems crazy to be sitting under a soccer goal for a first date, but I wanted you to know this side of me because it might be the most important part.” Ashlyn lets out a deep sign and Ali turns between her legs so she can look at the blonde. Ashlyn continues on with her confession. “Everyone thinks I’m this overly confident, hot-shot, love ‘em and leave ‘em type of girl who isn’t good for anything but sex and making girls swoon over me.” Ali’s face doesn’t change, she just watches as Ashlyn continues to open up. “I am not the girl everyone has pegged me to be. I judged a wet t-shirt contest one time and I have this reputation for being a player. I’m friendly towards everyone I pass on campus because I’ll wonder the rest of the day if I could’ve possibly turned that person’s bad day into a better one just by smiling at them. But they all just think I’m making a sexual pass at them. I act overly confident in front of most girls because I have to compensate for the anxiety and nervousness I can’t control otherwise.” Ali reaches for Ashlyn’s hand, stroking her thumb over the top of the blonde’s hand. She moves her other hand to Ashlyn’s cheek and wipes away the lone tear that has started to fall. But regardless of how hard this is for Ashlyn, she wants Ali to know that she struggles with things too. She isn’t this perfect, put together girl that Ali and the rest of the school thinks she is. “Everyone is allowed to struggle but me. Not Ashlyn. I’m not allowed to feel anything other than the girl who’s under me for the night, apparently.” Ali cringes at the blonde’s words. Not because she believes people’s accusations are true, but because her heart is breaking for this sweet, genuine person sitting next to her. Ali wipes the rest of the tears that have fallen down the blonde’s cheeks and quickly pulls her into a hug. “I’m so sorry Ash,” Ali whispers into her ear and places a small kiss there. The blonde sniffles and pulls away, wiping her eyes with her hands. “Sorry, I...didn’t want to get so emotional, but I wanted you to know that before someone else had the opportunity to sway you,” the blonde says sadly as she looks down into her lap. Ali took both of Ashlyn’s hands in hers, saying softly, “don’t apologize babe.”

Ashlyn smiles at how caring and thoughtful Ali is. She wasn’t expecting the brunette to run away, but she was sort of expecting her to freak out just a little bit, or at least question the blonde’s commitment to one girl. But she didn’t, and for that Ashlyn couldn’t be happier. She finished her story with one last remark. “Soccer has literally saved my life. This goal has saved my life. It gave me something to focus my energy on, and when I won us two national championships I felt like I was worth more than what those people were saying about me. Nothing else mattered to me but that feeling.” Now Ali had tears coming down her face and Ashlyn couldn’t help but chuckle lightly, which only caused Ali to laugh along with her. “I’m sorry!” Ali said through tears and laughter. “I’m not crying because I’m sad, but because you are so beautiful inside and out. I can’t believe how lucky I am to be on a date with you, even if it has involved excessive amount of tears,” Ali says with a smirk. Ashlyn wipes the brunette’s tears and shakes her head back and forth, blush creeping onto her cheeks. “Not to mention, on a date with a total hottie who has apparently won two national championships,” the brunette adds as she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively at Ashlyn. “Stoppppp ittttttt,” Ashlyn covers her face with her hands in embarrassment, but Ali doesn’t let it happen for long. She grabs the blonde’s hands and brings them to her lips, kissing over her knuckles gently and with love. She looks into the blonde’s glistening eyes and says, “thank you so much for sharing that with me.”

\---------------

The girls continue to chat in the cool evening air as they lay stretched out on the blanket. They’re watching the stars shine above them, listening to the soft music of M83 play in the background. Ali’s pressed into the blonde’s left side with her head resting on Ashlyn’s shoulder. Ali’s left hand lay on top of Ashlyn’s chest, right over her heart so she can feel it beating against her palm. So she knows that she’s alive and here and that she’s not leaving the brunette anytime soon. But the thought of losing Ashlyn just like she lost everything good in her life is too much. Ali can feel her own chest getting tight and her breathing becomes slightly more rapid. Ashlyn notices, but shrugs it off as nerves on the first date. That is until she thinks she hears Ali sniffle.

“Al--” Ashlyn begins to sit them up but Ali stops her. The blonde waits for Ali to continue as she leans back on her forearms. Ali looks into those hazel eyes and then leans her head into Ashlyn’s chest.

With a deep sign Ali lets out the only thing she can after all of this time, “2014 was the year I lost everything.” Ashlyn’s eyes go wide at the confession, but soften quickly after, prompting Ali to continue. “I was in my sophomore year at Penn State, playing a spring tournament down in Virginia. That’s where I’m from and my parents came to the tournament to watch since they didn’t often travel to Pennsylvania for my games.” Ashlyn nodded and let Ali continue, but had a bad feeling as to where this was headed. “It wa-was ra-raining outside a-an-and,” Ali tried to continue but her entire body is quickly wracked with sobs. Ashlyn scoops the brunette into her arms lays them down, pulling Ali down on top of her. She squeezes her tightly and presses a never-ending amount of kisses to her head. “Shhhh, baby, shhh, I’ve got you,” Ashlyn whispers tenderly to the brunette. “It’s okay, I promise you I’m right here,” the blonde encourages the crying girl. “Deep breaths Al,” Ashlyn tells her, and the brunette listens. Soon her breathing is slowing and the tears subside and Ashlyn runs her hands up and down Ali’s back in a soothing gesture. “You don’t have to continue,” Ashlyn says, but Ali has other plans. “No. I want you to know me too. I want you to know.” Ashlyn nods and Ali remains laying on top of her, listening to the thrum of her heart. She finds the sound soothing and reassuring as she continues her story.

“They were the best parents any kid could have,” Ali spoke softly with a deep sadness permeating her voice. “They were so excited to finally see me play. All of my hard work an sacrifice was finally going to pay off because they’d be sitting in the stands to watch.” Ali smiles at the almost memory. She wishes more than anything her parents could have seen her score the golden goal in overtime, a big achievement for her considering defenders don’t typically score often. “But they weren’t there,” Ali says sadly with fresh tears stream down her cheeks and onto Ashlyn’s previously tear-stained shirt. “I cheered with my team, I celebrated while I could, but eventually I sent them all back to Penn State without me. Told them my parents would be here and they must’ve hit traffic around the city. I waited an hour after the game, after my teammates and bus had left the stadium. And then I waited two hours. Nobody was answering my calls or texts. I knew something was wrong because my mom always has her phone on by her side. Something was really wrong.” Ali has her face buried into the side of Ashlyn’s neck now, breathing deeply to keep herself calm. Ashlyn is trying her best not to let Ali’s warm breath on her neck get her worked up. The blonde shivers at the sensation, but keeps an audible notes of pleasure to herself. She distracts herself by focusing on the brunette’s voice, and she strokes her hand through Ali’s long, wavy, brown hair. “You are so beautiful,” Ashlyn breathes out, not meaning to say it out loud and interrupt the girl’s moment. But it catches Ali’s attention and she pushes herself up slightly staring into the blonde’s eyes. They’re sincere, Ali can see that much. “I-uhm-I’m sorry, you weren’t supposed to hear that,” Ashlyn admits guiltily. Ali watches her closely. “It’s just, your voice is velvety and smooth even though you’ve been crying. It should sound broken and hoarse and fragile, but it’s beautiful to me. Everything about you is beautiful. I just, I got caught up. I’m really sorry.” Ashlyn looks away shyly feeling awful for taking this moment from Ali. The poor girl is trying to open up to the blonde about how her parents had obviously died and all the blonde can do is pay her a compliment. At this rate, Ali will probably change her mind about believing Ashlyn’s reputation.

Ashlyn expected a lot of things to happen, but this moment was definitely not one of them. Ali leaned against one arm and with her free hand she gripped Ashlyn’s chin and pulled her closer. Ali’s eyes darted from Ashlyn’s lips, to her eyes, back to her lips again before pulling the blonde in and kissing her with more desire than ever before. She holds the kiss soundly for what seems an eternity as Ashlyn’s heart rate speeds up. With a ‘pop,’ Ali breaks the kiss and gently rests her hand on the blonde’s cheek. Ali looks her directly in the eyes as she speaks again. “It was a car accident. They were killed on impact. I waited for three hours, twenty-one minutes and thirteen seconds to see my parents after the game. I waited.” Ashlyn continues to look into Ali’s eyes, her own welling up with tears because it’s just too much to handle. She can’t believe how incredibly strong the brunette must be to overcome heartbreak such as this. Ali speaks again, “When the officer pulled up in front of me as I sat alone on the curb outside, I knew the chance for my parents to see me play was long gone...just like them.” Ali whispers the last part and then the blonde pulls her in closely. Ashlyn does everything she can to comfort her; stroke her hair, whisper sweet words into her ear, kiss her cheek, her forehead, her neck, any part of her body she can reach. “Alex I am so so sorry,” the blonde says quietly with sadness in her voice. Ali instantly perks up and her eyes go wide suddenly. She’s scrambling to sit up and Ashlyn immediately thinks something is wrong. “What did you just call me?” Ali asks softly. Her voice isn’t angry or accusing. It’s curious. It’s...surprised. “I, uh, I think I called you Alex. I’m sorry, I don’t know why I did that.” Ashlyn is quick to cover her tracks. Ali just sits in front of the blonde with a dumfound look on her face. She’s definitely not mad, but Ashlyn still can’t get a read on the situation. Ashlyn isn’t even sure where she came up with the name “Alex”; after all, the brunette had introduced herself as “Ali” without any mention of her full name or another nickname. The tiniest smile escapes the brunette’s lips. It’s so tiny Ashlyn can barely see it.

“Alex. You called me Alex.” Ali repeated it to herself in shock.

“Yeah, I know, I’m so sorry I shouldn’t ha--” Ashlyn begins, but stops when Ali holds her hand up.

“My parents were the only ones who ever called me that,” Ali started to say. Ashlyn gets it now. It clicks.

“I’m sorry, it just slipped out,” Ashlyn said in a softened voice. Ali finally met her gaze and gave her a genuine smile.

“How did you know?” Ali speaks again, but it’s still sort of to herself even though she’s looking at the blonde. Ashlyn grabs onto Ali’s hand gently and brings it up to her own heart. She holds it there closely.

“I just _felt_ it,” Ashlyn says simply with all the love she can muster.


	7. Chapter 7

 

On the ride back to their dorm building the two girls were fairly quiet. It was an intense evening and honestly, Ashlyn and Ali were enjoying the silence settled between them. It wasn’t awkward or unwanted; it felt nice, as if they had been enjoying comfortable silence together for years.

Ali had never felt more thankful for a human being in her entire life. After her parents died she pretended to be okay for a little while. She ignored the impeding grief that would eventually wash her away; she pushed forward, dove into soccer completely. She ignored her friends at PSU; never went out on the weekends. She stayed in her dorm and kept to herself. It took the brunette three weeks to finally cry over her parents absence. She had been so emotionless for so long that it built up until she couldn’t handle it anymore. It had been a rainy afternoon on campus and Ali was walking to class with her teammates when one said, “I love the smell of rain in the springtime,” while splashing in a small puddle, and that’s all it took.

Ali thinks meeting Ashlyn saved her life. She paid close attention to the blonde’s words last night, to Ashlyn’s confession. The blonde had told her that soccer saved her life and being a goalkeeper gave her purpose at UNC when nobody else believed she was more than that false assumption. Ali could tell that the blonde felt a certain connection with the sport; it clearly made the blonde unbelievably happy. As Ali’s riding next to her, thinking in their shared silence, she is certain that Ashlyn is to her, just as soccer is to Ashlyn.

Ali reaches across the center consol to intertwine her arm with Ashlyn’s. Her gaze stays fixated on the road ahead; focused on her thoughts about the blonde and how much she means to her. Ali traces small, delicate circles on the inside of Ashlyn’s forearm, right in the crease of the girl’s elbow. Goosebumps suddenly erupt under Ali’s fingers and she glances down at the blonde’s arm to see tiny bumps and her hairs standing up on end.

Ashlyn shivers in the drivers seat, the feeling of the brunette’s touch too much handle on a night like tonight. She feels Ali smooth the bumps away with her soft hands,  
trying to relax the blonde. As the tingles subside, Ali switches from rubbing Ashlyn’s arm to tangling their fingers together. Ashlyn looks at their hands and smiles, feeling an overpowering sensation course through her body. She thought her body might erupt in goosebumps, from head to toe. That feeling has been so unfamiliar to the blonde that she welcomes it with open arms, so to speak. Her body is fully alive for the first time years. She’s so thankful for the girl sitting next to her. Ashlyn could daydream about Ali forever, but instead is quickly pulled back to reality when she hears the brunette’s smooth voice.

“Eyes on the road dimple,” Ali says with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Ashlyn quickly picks her gaze up from their intertwined hands and looks at Ali sheepishly.

“S-Sorry,” the blonde mutters and moves her eyes back to the road. She hears Ali chuckling softly beside her and decides to glance over from the corner of her eyes. The brunette’s eyes are trained on the road, so Ashlyn thinks she’s being discrete when she stares at Ali a little longer than originally planned. Unbeknownst to Ashlyn, Ali is fully aware of the girl’s leering. But she loves every second of it. Ali thinks it’s endearing and charming, and she feels completely flattered even if it’s supposed to be unintentional. She can still feel Ashlyn’s gaze burning into the side of her face. Her cheeks are becoming red from the heat that’s building between the two. Before it gets out of control, Ali decides to have a little fun with the blonde. First, she decides to roll her window down. The nighttime air is cool and refreshing, the perfect remedy to calm the brunette’s burning cheeks. She rests her head against the lip of the car window letting her hair blow wildly in the wind. After several minutes she pulls herself back into a regular sitting position and roll her window up. Ashlyn doesn’t think anything of it, yet.

Ali slides her seat back to give herself more room as she leans over to put her hair into a messy, loose bun. She pulls her head back up and relaxes back into her seat. With her eyes closed she lets out a soft “mmm...much better.” The sexy, husky sound of Ali’s voice is enough to cause Ashlyn to swerve.

“You okay?” Ali sit ups and gives the blonde a pointed look.

“Oh, uhhhh...mhhm...ye-yeah, s-sorry,” Ashlyn answers shyly. She’s starting to sweat in her seat. Good thing they’re just a minute from campus.

“Mmk sexy, just checking,” Ali says in the softest, most pure sounding voice she can muster. She leans back into her seat, glancing over to catch Ashlyn’s reaction. The blonde is gripping her steering wheel so tightly her knuckles are turning white. Ali wants to laugh out loud at poor Ashlyn’s frustration, but she settles for keeping her chuckling to herself.

Somehow Ashlyn manages to survive the car ride home and park it without any more problems. Ali glances over at the blonde from the corner of her eye to see Ashlyn still gripping her wheel tightly. Ali makes sure to act on this before it’s too late.

“Heyyyy,” she purrs into Ashlyn’s ear, which definitely cause goosebumps to shoot down her spine. Ali lightly drags her fingers down Ashlyn’s right arm. Ali covers the blonde’s hand with her own, prying the girl’s fingers away from the wheel.

“Relax baby, you’re so tense right now,” she places an open-mouthed kiss to Ashlyn’s neck, while resting her hand on the inside of the blonde’s upper thigh. She squeezes lightly and Ashlyn’s breath visibly hitches in her throat. Ali eyes her curiously, wondering what the blonde’s move is going to be. If she moves at all.

Ashlyn’s eyes fall to Ali’s hand that is resting awfully high on her thigh, and then back up into deep brown cinnamon eyes. She has a feeling Ali is testing her limits; that she’s playing a little game with her to see if she’ll crack. _Two can play that game_ , Ashlyn thinks.

Ashlyn clears her throat before speaking, “I’ll be right back, it’s a little warm in here.” With that the blonde jumps out of her Jeep and stretches her arms out to the side as if she’s about to welcome the world’s biggest hug. Ali watches closely from the car and before she knows it, Ashlyn is doing the unthinkable.

“Ash! Ashlyn!” Ali jumps out of the passenger side and is yelling at the blonde in a violent whisper as to control the situation that is playing out.

“Uhm, what?” Ashlyn asks like she can’t even believe Ali is questioning her judgment right now. On the inside, the blonde is laughing hysterically. Ali’s face is priceless.

“Put your clothes back on for god’s sake!” Ali whispers into the night again, throwing her hands over her face in embarrassment of anyone else seeing this ridiculousness.

“I have clothes on, what ever do you mean?” Ashlyn is playing the innocent card so well and Ali is just eyeing her, bewildered.

“Ashlyn-” Ali begins to say but the blonde cuts her off.

“Don’t you like my outfit?” Ashlyn begins. “I wore it just for you...” and she throws a wink at Ali for good measure.

Ali can’t help but let her eyes linger over the blonde’s mostly exposed body. She stares at Ashlyn’s long, slender legs and imagines what it would be like to lay between them. What it would feel like to drag her nails across her soft, tattooed flesh and watch the blonde’s body burst into flames over her touch. She moves up Ashlyn’s body to her underwear; black Calvin Klein boxer briefs with a thick grey band and red lettering. Ali gulps audibly and Ashlyn raises an eyebrow at the sound. But Ali is too involved to pay attention to Ashlyn’s expression. Instead, the brunette thinks about how soft the blonde’s boxers look and what they would feel like in her hands as she pulls them off of Ashlyn’s toned body. And what _Ashlyn_ might feel like in her hands too. She shakes that thought away trying to make it up to the blonde’s hazel eyes. She can’t help but become sidetracked by lots and lots of muscle. Ashlyn has what looks like a rock hard six pack, and before Ali can stop herself she shuffles closer and reaches her hand out to run it down the blonde’s stomach. Ali is practically foaming at the mouth.

“Definitely real...” Ali mumbles quietly so only she can hear. Ali moves her hand from the blonde’s stomach muscles to the large tattoo piece on her side. Ali’s fingers delicately dance across Ashlyn’s colorful masterpiece. Ashlyn watches the brunette inspect her tattoo lovingly.

“Do you like it?” Ashlyn asks in a soft voice. Ali finally meets those beautiful hazel eyes and smiles softly.

“It’s beautiful Ash,” she begins to say, “wasn’t expecting the flowers at first, but I see it now,” Ali finishes sincerely.

“I was talking about my outfit...” Ashlyn answers, leaving the words hanging in the air. Ali looks at her with panic in her expression.

“I-uhhhh...” Ali begins but can’t bring herself to finish the phrase. Ashlyn can’t take it anymore and let’s out a howl of laughter.

“O-Oh m-my gosh! You should-see your face!” Ashlyn is doubled over in laughter and the brunette is staring at her with her mouth hanging wide open.

“I’m gunna kick your ass,” Ali says in a mock tough voice, but both girls know she couldn’t hurt a fly. Eventually Ali joins in on the laughter.

“Alright, that was good I admit,” Ali says.

\---------------

The girls made their way back to their respective dorm rooms after a much needed make out session. Neither wanted to say goodbye, but both were too afraid and nervous to ask the other to come inside for a little longer. So they settled for exchanging phone numbers and promised to text one another.

The time was 11:30 p.m. and Ali crawled into her bed and closed her eyes. She couldn’t get the image of a naked Ashlyn out of her mind. Ali thought the blonde was gorgeous with clothes on, but with them off...damn. The brunette thought Ashlyn was undeniably beautiful and perfect, and she wanted to wrap her body around the blonde’s and never let go. She tossed and turned under her fluffy covers, willing sleep to come so that she could wake up tomorrow morning and text Ashlyn. She didn’t want to text her tonight and seem desperate. But the more she laid in bed the more she wanted Ashlyn.

Down the hall and around the corner Ashlyn lay in her own bed with just her boxers and sports bra on. She had the sheet draped low across her waist, wondering how different her bed would feel if Ali were in it next to her. The blonde debated texting Ali, making up an excuse like being afraid of the dark in hopes that the brunette would hold her and protect her all night long. She could dream, that’s for sure.

It was going on 1 a.m. and both girls lay wide awake on their back. They let out a simultaneous sigh and reached for their phones...

_(1:01 a.m.) Ash: Hi..._

_(1:01 a.m.) Ali: Hey you...weird timing lol_

The girls laughed at how ridiculous the whole scenario was. It makes them stop and question just how lucky they actually are. Maybe they crashed into each other because they were always meant to. It wasn’t just a freak accident. It was fate.

  
_(1:04 a.m.) Ash: Totes weird. So I can’t sleep..._

_(1:05 a.m.) Ali: Awww poor baby, afraid of the dark? ;)_

_(1:05 a.m.) Ash: Oh yes, terrified :p_

_(1:05 a.m.) Ash: Come save me?_

It takes Ali a couples minutes to work up the nerve to respond to that text. Ashlyn wants her to come over. It’s already super late, she can’t imagine the blonde kicking her out. Ashlyn is asking Ali to spend the night and the brunette is panicking because she is fully aware of what Ashlyn looks like naked...or at least with minimal clothing. Ali isn’t sure she can promise to behave herself when she’s around the blonde. But it’s either toss and turn alone in bed, or sleep with incredibly sexy Ashlyn...

_(1:10 a.m.) Ali: Room # ?_

_(1:10 a.m.) Ash: Finallyyyyy... had me worried for a minute. 318...just come in._

Ali throws on a pair of sweats and PSU t-shirt she likes to sleep in and shuffles down the hall to room 318. She does what Ashlyn tells her to and slowly pushes the door open. Ashlyn’s room is mostly dark, all but the little bedside lamp she has turned on, presumably so the brunette can see where she’s going. Ali can’t help but smile at the sight of Ashlyn tucked into bed, waiting for the brunette with the covers pulled back.

Ashlyn decided it was best if she put some clothes on, although reluctant. She remained in her boxers but threw on one of her UNC soccer t-shirts to cover the majority of her body. The blonde felt Ali curl into her side and nuzzle her face into her neck. Ali inhaled and exhaled deeply, pressing a light kiss to Ashlyn’s pulse point on her neck. The blonde squeezed Ali tightly and kissed the girl’s temple.

“Thanks for coming over,” Ashlyn said quietly.

“Thanks for inviting me,” Ali responded cutely. The two girls looked up into each other’s eyes and smiled widely.

“I’m so happy right now,” Ali spoke again with the sweetest tone Ashlyn had ever heard. Her voice was mesmerizing. _Ali_ was mesmerizing. She felt the brunette rest her palm flat against her chest, right over her heart. That seemed to be a theme with Ali, the blonde noticed. She doesn’t say anything to Ali though; she likes her hand there. Ashlyn places her own hand on top of Ali’s and rubs her thumb back and forth over the brunette’s soft skin. She can feel Ali’s eyelashes fluttering against her neck in a form of appreciation. It’s all Ashlyn needs to feel to know.

“Ali...” Ashlyn whispers gently into the brunette’s ear. Ali looks up to meet the blonde’s warm eyes. She waits to Ashlyn to speak again.

“Will you be my girlfriend?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not the longest chapter, but I thought it was a good stopping point until the next update. I wrote this earlier listening to Pandora, and as I'm writing the bits about Ali's past, the song "Sunburn" by Ed Sheeran came on. Weird. And then, as if my heart wasn't already breaking in half, the song "Tenerife Sea" by Ed Sheeran came on while I was writing Ali and Ashlyn's little "confessions" to each other. For added fun listen to those songs and just cry with me haha

_“Will you be my girlfriend?”_ the blonde asked softly, like she’s afraid to say it out loud. Like maybe Ali won’t want the same thing, or that it’s too soon for her to commit to Ashlyn. After all, it’s only been two days since their first meeting.

At the blonde’s question Ali sits up just slightly in bed so that she’s resting on her elbow. Tender, brown eyes meet curious hazel ones, nothing but love and concern and unanswered questions passing between them. Ali’s heart is hammering in her chest, nervous energy buzzing through her veins.

Ashlyn feels like a distant dream to Ali. The brunette has gone so long feeling alone that she can’t quite wrap her head around the fact that someone wants to willingly lift that intense loneliness from her life. At the thought a single tear slips down her cheek, reminiscent of so many nights she had cried into her pillow alone, but also so different. Ashlyn quickly leans closer and wipes the fallen tear with her thumb and kisses the damp path the salty drop had left. The blonde’s hand remains on Ali’s jaw, stroking her thumb across the girl’s cheek. Their eyes meet shyly. Ashlyn gives the brunette a soft smile and kisses her cheek again, even softer than she had before. At the gentle touch, Ali closes her eyes and lets the feeling of comfort and security wash over her body like a protective blanket. She thinks back to the last time she’s felt this way, the last time she so freely let another person’s love in. But Ali has trouble remembering even that, something that would be unforgettable to anyone else. It would seem crazy to forget the last person who loved the brunette, but the truth is that Ali wanted to forget. She buried that memory deep into her subconscious.

Because the last people to love her unconditionally, without hesitation, with unwavering promise, were her parents.

“Okay...” Ali’s voice is soft and broken, but one thing it isn’t is confused. She’s more sure of this than anything since her parent’s death. The tone of her voice startles Ashlyn, like she wasn’t even expecting an answer from Ali tonight. She pulls back from the girl slightly to stare at her, memorizing every line on the brunette’s face.

“Okayyy?” Ashlyn repeats, making sure they’re on the same page.

“Yes, I’ll be your girlfri--” before Ali can finish the word Ashlyn connects their lips with force. Ali smiles into the kiss, something the blonde was hoping for all night. She knows how difficult it is to lose loved ones, and she knows that Ali has struggled beyond what anyone should endure. To see, or rather feel, her finally smiling is the greatest relief to Ashlyn.

“I freakin’ lo--” now it’s Ashlyn who stops herself. Her eyes shoot open and she throws her hand over her mouth, shocked that the four-lettered word almost slipped out of her mouth. It’s been a long time for Ashlyn too; nobody has shown her the kind of compassion and understanding that Ali has in such a short amount of time. For Ashlyn, the brunette has held onto her every word with nothing but trust. There’s nothing more important to the blonde than trust, especially after everything she’s been through.

Ashlyn stares at Ali. It’s all she can do because her mind stopped working when she stuck her foot in her mouth just a second ago. Her heart is beating so quickly that she feels like she could pass out right there on her bed. She feels beads of sweat bubble on her forehead but quickly wipes it away with the back of her hand.

“I--I--uhm--uhhh--” the blonde gulps, unable to think straight enough to form a complete sentence. Now she’s sure she’s ruined everything with Ali. All two days of their ‘relationship.’

But the brunette is always surprising her.

“I freakin’ love you too,” she hears Ali say genuinely. Ashlyn whips her head up to look at the brunette. She looks directly into her eyes; they’re the darkest shade of brown she’s ever seen, so dark they almost look black in the dim light of her room.

“Al, i-it’s okay, you don’t have to cover f-for me,” the blonde stutters out. Now it’s Ali’s turn to comfort the girl next to her. She places her hand on Ashlyn’s jaw and strokes her thumb across the blonde’s defined cheekbone. Ali leans in and places a soft kiss to her favorite pink lips. She pulls back with a smile when she sees that Ashlyn’s eyes are still closed. Ali giggles at how cute the blonde is. At her soft laughter, Ashlyn’s eyes flutter open. She cracks a shy smile.

“You’re adorable,” Ali says, her hand now moving to pinch Ashlyn’s dimple. The blonde’s cheeks erupt in a blush, cheesy smile gracing her lips.

“Allliiiii,” the blonde whines in embarrassment.

“Hey, can I tell you something?” Ali asks, the mood suddenly shifting fro lighthearted to serious. Ashlyn nods for her to continue.

“I haven’t felt a connection like this,” Ali moves her hand from the girl’s cheek to her heart, Ashlyn quickly places her own hand on top of Ali’s to hold it even closer, “since my parents died.” Ashlyn stays quiet, letting the brunette continue at her own pace. “I didn’t ‘cover for you’ when I said that I love you. I said I love you because I really do... _love you_. It’s been two days, but I can just feel it you know? I just know that I’m going to love you forever; you’re my person. I’ll be totally _in love_ with you before long and I don’t want to waste any time not telling you exactly what I feel. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell you and something happened. I just...I just need you to know that you’re so special to me Ashlyn.” The blonde stays quiet for a moment, soaking in everything the brunette said. She feels like the luckiest girl in the world.

“You know,” Ashlyn begins softly, “right before we went out tonight, right before you opened the door and took my breath away, I thought, ‘how lucky am I to be going on my last first date’” Ashlyn smiles, shaking her head and lowering it just slightly. Ali just smiles as she watches Ashlyn recount the memory. She smiles at how in sync the two are for only having known each other for two days. Maybe they really are _it_ for each other. “It wasn’t until this moment, hearing you say what I’ve been thinking the whole time, that I truly believed I was right. I love you too. There will never be anyone else like you Alex. You’re my person too.” Ashlyn brings Ali’s hand up from her chest and kisses the girl’s knuckles gently.

After a moment of deeper exploration into each other’s eyes, and an embrace that couldn’t be torn apart with a saw, Ali lets out a small giggle and Ashlyn pulls herself out of her thoughts to look at the brunette with a questioning smile.

“What?” Ashlyn says, starting to laugh herself. That’s one thing she loves about the brunette. Her smile and her laugh are so infectious and intoxicating it’s hard not to get sucked in.

“Just thinking about how ridiculous this is gunna sound to the team,” Ali says, laughing even harder now.

“Ridiculous that you fell for such a stud?” Ashlyn says with a smirk. Ali rolls her eyes as the blonde continues. “Two days is a new record, usually the girls fall after one,” Ashlyn responds before they burst into laughter, filling the dimly lit room with the sounds of their meshed voices.


End file.
